1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains to the field of cockpit indicators or display units that provide information to pilot or flight crew of aircraft. To address the issue of runway incursion on airports, the embodiments herein improve cockpit display units by adding taxi navigation information on the face of a display unit through the use of a novel system, novel devices, and novel methods.
2. Description of the Related Art
Landing an aircraft under crosswind conditions can cause a great amount of stress on a pilot or flight crew. To address aircraft landing operations in the presence of crosswinds, aircraft are certified with a “maximum demonstrated crosswind component.” This value is based on the actual testing conducted during certification trials for an aircraft. To achieve this value, engineering test pilots conduct flight tests in varying degrees of crosswind conditions to explore the maximum amount of crosswind the aircraft can safely handle, i.e., the aircraft has demonstrated adequate rudder available to control aircraft alignment and drift over the runway. Once this value is determined from the tests, it is published in the “limits” section of an aircraft performance operating handbook. While not a “limit” per se, the maximum demonstrated crosswind component represents maximum crosswind flight crew.
Pilots and flight crews are very concerned about any existing crosswind landing situation. Although some level of planning may anticipate possible crosswind conditions, predicting crosswind conditions at the moment of landing is not an exact science and subject to change. While crosswind calculations are capable of being performed during flight, it is not always possible. Often, pilots estimate the actual component based on personal experience and the reported wind speed and relative direction. For instance, if the reported wind for a runway is 30 degrees to the right at 25 knots gusting to 30 knots, the pilot knows that the wind is offset so the effect of the crosswind will be less than 25 knots. However, if the crosswind approaches 90 degrees, or perpendicular to the centerline of the runway, then the landing might be difficult or exceed the maximum demonstrated crosswind component stated in the aircraft performance operating handbook.
If the crosswind component could be determined automatically and displayed to the current wind vector during the landing phase of the flight, the pilot would benefit from a much higher degree of situational awareness. Additionally, this could assist the pilot in making go/no-go decisions regarding the landing operation in a high crosswind situation. In other words, safety is enhanced, situational awareness is enhanced, and aircraft efficiency is enhanced.
In response to these concerns, the embodiments herein provide a reference on the pilot's primary display unit of a visual representation of the actual crosswind component computed from data provided by the navigation sub-systems of an aircraft.